Swept Away
by TheSakuraBreeze
Summary: When Yona finds Kija and Jae-ha arguing, she takes Kija on a walk to calm him down. When they are approached by a woman asking for their help, things take a turn for the troubleosme. Yona gets hurt, and Hak fusses over her.


It's a crisp, cold morning when Yona wakes up. She blinks up at the tarp of her tent and grimaces against the chill against her cheeks. She decidedly does not was to leave her blankets. Just this once, she wishes she could be a little selfish again. But, she can't. So she sits up, letting her blankets fall to her lap and bracing herself against the cold. She makes a mental note that, as soon as they have the means to do so, they need to get clothing and thicker blankets for the winter. Especially Hak; he'll most certainly freeze with his chest exposed as it is. Suddenly all her mind can focus on is his chest. How firm and warm it is when he holds her against it. How- No, wait, stop. Since when did she start thinking like this? Why was she thinking like this? She worries her lip, torn between wanting to figure out her feelings and being scared to follow that particular train of thought. It's a familiar battle.

Before she can come to a conclusion, Hak himself pops his head through the tent flap.

"Oh, you're awake," he says. "I was just about to kick you out of bed, lazy." He punctuates his sentence with a teasing grin. After a moment, the grin disappears. "What's wrong? Your cheeks are red. Do you have a fever?" Without waiting for an answer, he moves forward and places a hand on Yona's forehead. Yona's cheeks only heat further.

"I'm fine," she says, pulling away. "Are the others already awake?"

He frowns a little, but answers anyway. "Yes, we were just talking about where to go next. I came to wake you up because it's really your decision."

She nods. "Thank you, Hak."

He simply nods and offers her a hand. She takes it, noticing for a moment just how warm it is. As soon as she's upright, she pulls her hand away and straightens her dress nervously. Since when was she so anxious around Hak? It wasn't like her. He gives her another odd look and exits the tent. She takes a moment to force herself to calm before following.

The sky outside is grey and dreary, as expected. Even so, it worsens her mood immediately. Shouting draws her attention away from her thoughts.

"I don't get why you're making such a big deal about this!" Jae-ha yells. "It's none of your business?"

"Of course it is! Your actions affect the safety of the princess!" Kija returns, poking a finger into Jae-ha's chest. Jae-ha bats it away.

"Who I decide to share time with has nothing to do with that!"

"Of course it does! What if they-!"

"Enough!" Yona interrupts. "What are you two fighting about?" The two of them startle away from one another and stare at Yona, wide-eyed, like children caught with their hands in a jar of sweets.

"Nothing," Jae-ha mutters, while Ki-ja says, "it is too debaucherous for a princess' ears."

"The green dragon over there snuck off with a pretty lady he met on the road last night," Zeno stage-whispers to her.

"He- what? Oh my," Yona says. "Well, if that's how he wants to spend his time…"

Jae-ha sighs loudly. "What I was saying is that there is an empty cabin not far from here. Where I met up with the woman. Seeing as if we have nowhere particular to go next just yet, I thought we could use a break. And with the weather like it is, it would be wise to take shelter somewhere."

Yona purses her lips. It isn't a bad idea. They are all worn out after everything they've been through. But Yona doesn't like the idea of just abandoning the Kingdom when there's still so much to do.

"Seems like you actually _do_ have a brain, droopy-eyes," Hak remarks, eyes wide with mock surprise. Before Jae-ha can snark back, Hak turns to Yona. "I know what you're thinking, Princess. But the Kingdom isn't going anywhere, and we won't be able to help the people if we're all too worn out to fight. Besides, this might be our only chance to get some rest."

"I suppose you're right," Yona admits.

"Of course I am," Hak grins.

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!" Zeno exclaims.

The cabin is nice. It isn't huge or luxurious, but it's clean and it's cozy and it's nice. There are two bedrooms and one communal area, and it is entirely unfurnished apart from one bed. They all insist that Yona take the bed, and that they will sleep in the other room. They all take time to relax and unwind from the excitement of their adventures. Hak sits outside sharpening his blade, while Yun reads some of the new books they'd managed to pick up. Shin-ah sits and watches Zeno as he plays with Ao. Jae-ha and Kija have both gone for walks to cool their heads from their earlier fight. For a while, Yona just sits and watches the sky, but quickly grows bored. She thinks about practicing with her bow and arrow, but from the looks of the sky, it could be pouring with rain at any moment.

"I'm going to go look for Jae-ha and Kija," she says as she stands.

"Don't go too far, Princess," Hak cautions. Yona smiles at him before walking the way the other two had gone.

It isn't long before she finds them. After a few minutes, all she has to do is follow the sound of yelling. She finds them in a small clearing. Jae-ha has his fists in Kija's collar and is holding him above the ground.

"Stop acting like you're better than me!" Jae-ha yells. "Just because-"

"Stop it you two!" Yona exclaims, rushing to break the two of them apart. "Jae-ha, put him down!"

Jae-ha's eyes go wide, and he drops Kija without a second thought. "Yona, I-"

"This is getting ridiculous," she interrupts. "Jae-ha, you go back to the cabin. Hak might need help with getting food or firewood before the rain comes."

Jae-ha looks like he's about to say something, but then decides against it. He nods and walks back to the cabin. Yona turns to Kija and gives him a soft smile. "Shall we take a walk?"

"As you wish," Kija nods, though he looks a little uncomfortable.

They start off in the opposite direction of Jae-ha, and walk in silence for a while. The only sounds are that of their footfalls; the animals have probably sensed the oncoming rain and took shelter by now. Eventually, Yona speaks up.

"This isn't like you, Kija," she says. "I mean, you used to fight with Hak all the time, but you've never fought with Jae-ha before. What's the matter?"

"It's nothing," he says, pointedly not looking at her.

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be fighting with him so much."

"He shouldn't have snuck off with that woman."

"Why not?"

"Because it compromises your safety! What if someone had attacked us?"

"Then you, Hak, Shin-ah, and Zeno would have taken care of it. And Jae-ha would have come running sooner or later."

"But still…"

Suddenly, something dawned on Yona. "Wait a second. Don't tell me- Are you jealous?"

"What?!" Kija exclaims. "Jealous? That's absurd!" Despite what he says, Yona can see the pinkness of his cheeks.

"You are! You like him."

"That's even more absurd! I don't-"

"Help!" A shriek interrupts them. Yona turns to see a woman running towards them. "Please help me! My child, he- he's-"

When the woman comes to a stop, Yona touches her lightly on the arm. "Hey, it's okay. We can help you. What happened?"

"The river, there was a flash flood. He was almost washed away, but he managed to get onto a rock. But he's stuck there now and the water is still rising. Please, you have to help him!"

"Take us to him."

"Yona-" Kija begins to protest, but cuts himself off when Yona gives him a sharp look.

"Thank you, oh, thank you!" the woman says. "This way!" She turns around and runs back the way she came. Yona follows, with Kija close behind.

The woman leads them down a winding pathway through the trees. There are so many twists and turns that soon Yona has next to no idea where they are. She really hopes that Kija has been keeping better track of their whereabouts. They eventually come to a river. Just as the woman had described, the water was flowing dangerously fast. The woman leads them onto a stone bridge so worn by age that it's a wonder the current doesn't wash it away. Yona searches the water for the child, but finds no one. _Oh, no_ , she thinks. _Has he already been washed away?_

"Where-?" She starts, but is cut off when someone grabs her from behind and a rough hand covers her mouth.

"Princess!" Kija shouts.

She is pivoted to face Kija. There are men surrounding them, all clad in armor and brandishing weapons. The armor and weapons look cheaply made and worn, however, so they can't be soldiers. Bandits, then.

The woman starts laughing. "That was way too easy! Wow, you two are gullible. Now, give us all your valuables."

Yona looks past the woman, at Kija, and nods. Kija makes as if to reach inside his pocket, but instead swivels around and knocks down the men behind him in one strike. Before the woman and the men behind Yona can react, Kija is rushing at them. But, just as he is about to strike again, the bridge shudders. They all freeze. Yona watches the ground below them carefully, fearful of the worst. All she does is breathe. One breath. Two. And the bridge collapses. Kija grabs Yona as the ground crumbles below them, holding her close, and the river washes them away.

It's still crisp and cold when Yona wakes up again, but now soft droplets of rain fall on her face. Her head is pounding. She feels lips against her own. They're slightly chapped, but they're warm and strangely comforting. Like home. The lips pull away and she feels someone push down on her chest. Once, twice, and then she's jerking upright and coughing water from her lungs. She feels a hand on her back, large and firm. She turns to see Hak sitting next to her, his eyebrows knitted together and his lips pulled into a worried grimace. He pushes a wet strand of hair from her face and tucks it behind her ear, far gentler than he usually is.

"Princess, are you okay?" He asks, his voice tight with concern. Yona stares at him for a moment. Her head is still pounding. Somehow, through the haze, she realizes that it must have been Hak's lips that were on hers just a moment ago. She immediately feels herself blush, and turns away from him. "Princess?"

She nods slowly, wincing at the pain in the back of her skull. "I'm fine. My head just hurts. Where's Kija?"

"He's… Let's just get back to the cabin."

Hak helps her to her feet, and keeps an arm around her shoulders as she stands. She tries not to think about how nice it is. Yona takes a moment to steady herself, and then looks around. She sees Kija lying on the ground, still unconscious, with Jae-ha kneeling at his side. Jae-ha has one of Kija's hands clasped between his own, his lips brushing against Kija's fingers just barely.

She swears she can hear him say, "No, I can't bear to lose you." Yona would smile to herself if this was any other situation. She tries to run to them, but the whole earth seems to tilt and she lurches forward. Hak catches her in his arms, and she feels like she's a moment from passing out again.

"Hak, will he be okay? Please tell me he'll be okay," she pleads.

"He'll be fine, Princess. The white snake won't die so easily. But we have to get the both of you back to Yun." Yona nods, but anything she was about to say is lost when Hak lifts her into his arms. "It'll be faster if I carry you," is all he says before he turns to Jae-ha and calls, "droopy-eyes, let's go!"

Jae-ha's head jerks up, and he looks a little embarrassed. He gathers Kija into his arms and follows after Hak as they start back in the direction of the cabin. Yona's cheeks feel hot as she stares up at Hak's face. He is looking forward with a determination she usually only sees on his face in the middle of battle. Despite her embarrassment – and confusion – she feels warm and safe; safer than she does on most days. Eventually, the warmth and Hak's steady footfalls lull her into sleep.

When Yona wakes up for the third time, she is warm. She is warm, but she immediately knows that she is no longer in Hak's arms. She feels a strange sense of loss at that realisation. When she opens her eyes, she finds her left wrist in bandages. She hadn't noticed, but she must have sprained it when she fell into the river. She sits up to find herself covered in Hak's cloak. She gingerly takes it in her hand and brings it up to her face, inhaling his scent. Just then, the door creaks open. She drops it to her lap as quickly as she can as she sees Yun walk into the room. He shoots her an amused, but knowing, smile as he sets a tray on her lap.

"Here, eat something. You're probably weak from being in the river for so long. It's a wonder you didn't catch hypothermia," he says.

"Thank you, Yun," she smiles. "Say, where is Hak?"

"Oh, the thunder beast went out for a walk the last time I saw him. I think he went to go get some food. He should be back soon." He shoots her another smile and shuts the door softly behind him.

Yona gulps down the soup Yun gave her eagerly, grateful for the warm, full feeling it gives her. When she's done, she sets the tray aside and gets out of bed. She's still a little wobbly on her feet, but she gets her bearings quickly enough. She exits her room and, when she notices the door standing open, peeks into the room adjacent to hers. Inside, she sees Kija sitting up, and Jae-ha's arms wrapped around him. She smiles to herself and thinks, _finally_. Deciding to look for Hak, she heads for the cabin door and opens it, only to walk straight into him. He steps backwards and sets the boar he'd been carrying on the ground. She follows him outside, noting with relief that it isn't raining anymore.

"Oh, Princess, you're awake," he says, trying to sound nonchalant – but Yona knows better. She pulls on a strand of her hair, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Thank you, Hak," she says. "For saving me. Again." He seems about to smirk at her when he notices her wrist. Gently, he takes her hand into his own and sighs. "Hak?" She all but squeaks.

"I couldn't protect you."

"What are you talking about? You have me-" _mouth to mouth_ , she finishes in her head, but feels too embarrassed to say aloud.

"You're hurt."

"Hak… You can't always stop me from getting hurt."

"But it's my job. I can't stand to see you hurt. I-"

"Hak?" Yona squeaks again after a long moment of silence.

"Yona, I care about you too much. I… I love you."

"You… What?" Her cheeks are suddenly beetroot red.

He gives her a sad smile. "Do I really need to say it again? I know you don't feel the same."

He begins to turn away, but Yona grabs his arm. "No, Hak, I…"

Hak's eyes widen a little as he registers the meaning behind her words, and then his lips pull into his usual smirk. He leans down, ever so slowly, eyes constantly searching her face for any sign of rejection. When he finds none, his lips brush hers ever so slightly. He pulls back a little and gives her a meaningful look, as if asking for permission. When she nods, he brings their lips together again with a firmness that wasn't there before. His hand cups her face, and she feels warm and safe and _home_ with Hak.

When they finally pull back from one another, Yona whispers, "I love you too."


End file.
